Lasting Treasures
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
“The unsearchable riches of Christ” include many blessings. Paul says in the opening verses of Ephesians that the Father “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
There is no greater blessing than the “riches of His grace!” Paul first mentions that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,” and “predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ.” All this was “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (1:4-6) Like the Apostle Paul himself, we were all once enemies of God fighting against Him on our way to hell. But now we have been accepted by God, for in Christ “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” What a treasure of His Grace!
The “riches of His grace” become all the more precious when we know the depth of our depravity and the price of our redemption. Paul never stopped marveling at the grace of God because he never forgot how wretched he had been and still was. Even as a believer, he kept doing the evil that he didn’t want to do and failed to do the good he wanted. (Romans 7) We too, can’t go a day without sinning against our Holy God. We treasure God’s grace when we hunger and thirst for righteousness and come to Him in repentance. We are cleansed through His blood.
Isaiah says, “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2) God’s grace is always more than enough to remove all our sins.
O Lord, we thank you that you have shown us the exceeding riches of Your grace in Your forgiveness and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Amen